Steven Ogg Reveals ‘Snowpiercer’ Release Date

TNT’s Snowpiercer series will debut sometime in June 2019, according to star Steven Ogg.

“Snowpiercer, based on the movie. It’s a TV show, it’s for TNT, Netflix around the world, June of next year,” Ogg said when asked about upcoming projects at Salt Lake City’s FanX convention this past weekend, where he appeared alongside former The Walking Dead co-stars Austin Amelio and Tom Payne.

“Daveed Diggs, Jennifer Connelly, amazing cast. And it looks incredible,” Ogg said, beaming. “We’re on the studio with these trains, and it’s exciting. I’m going back there on Tuesday, so I’m very happy.”

The series, inspired by the 2013 Bong Joon-Ho-directed film of the same name that starred Chris Evans, touches on themes of class warfare, social injustice, and the politics of survival as the remnants of humanity — split into fractions of the lower and upper-class — are now trapped in an always-moving train circling the globe seven years after the Freeze, a devastating event that left the world a frosted-over wasteland.

Ogg’s “hardened and battle-scarred” career criminal, Pike, has emerged as a warrior and one of the leaders in the Tail, home to the lower-class.

In July, streaming giant Netflix secured the international rights for the series, allowing the service to distribute Snowpiercer outside of China and the United States, where it will air on TNT.

Doctor Strange and Sinister filmmaker Scott Derrickson helmed the feature-length pilot before famously stepping away from the series earlier this summer, declining to return for reshoots after taking issue with the “radically different vision for the show” brought about by new showrunner Graeme Manson (Orphan Black).

Derrickson said the pilot, from a 72-page script penned by Josh Friedman (Sarah Connor Chronicles, War of the Worlds), “may be my best work.”

“I’m a personal fan of Bong Joon Ho’s epic film and jumped at the chance to honor his original vision, yet expand upon the world and characters with a diverse, award-winning cast,” said Sarah Aubrey, Executive VP of Original Orogramming at TNT, when the network ordered Snowpiercer to series.

“Science fiction is the perfect genre to examine issues of race, class, gender and natural resources with thought-provoking and exciting storytelling. Snowpiercer will explore those relevant issues while embarking on a wild, action-filled ride.”

The series debuts June 2019.